Advice for Carlisle homeowners

(Date of issue: Monday, 23 November 2009)

To coincide with National Week of Action (23 – 27 November), Carlisle City Council is offering support and advice to local homeowners who have empty properties.

There are more than 1,500 empty properties within the Carlisle area, 700 of which have been out of use for longer than one year. In addition to being a disincentive to anyone staying on or moving to an area, they are also visually unattractive and create an impression of neglect and decline.

As part of the City Council’s Empty Homes Strategy, the private sector housing team aims to reduce the level of empty properties in Carlisle and help meet local housing need by introducing accommodation back into the market. The team:

• Respond to enquiries and complaints from local residents about empty properties.
• Proactively identifying empty properties and their owners.
• Provide advice and support to the owners of empty properties with the aim of returning the properties back into use.
• Offer financial support to empty property owners, in the form of Empty Property Renovation Grants.
• Support a Private Sector Leasing Scheme with a local Registered Social Landlord.

For further details on empty properties, or to report an empty property, telephone 01228 817320 or email housing@carlisle.gov.uk